The majority of contractors or employees experiencing burnout will remain at work. Being aware of changes in attitudes and energy can help with early identification. Contractors or employees of yours may not realize that they are dealing with burnout and may instead believe that they are just struggling to keep up during stressful times. Stress, however, is usually experienced as feeling anxious and having a sense of urgency while burnout is more commonly experienced as helplessness, hopelessness, or apathy.

Contractors or employees may not be aware of the negative impacts on their performance that that can impact on your clinic from patient service to patient outcome to the bottom line. Employers and contractors may attribute the changes to a poor attitude or loss of motivation. The negative effects of burnout can increase significantly before anyone recognizes or addresses the problem and unaddressed burnout can increase the chance of developing clinical depression or other serious conditions.

Some of the signs and symptoms that a contractor or employee experiencing burnout may exhibit include:
• Reduced efficiency and energy
• Lowered levels of motivation
• Increased errors
• Fatigue
• Headaches
• Irritability
• Increased frustration
• Suspiciousness
• More time spent working with less being accomplished

Left unaddressed, burnout may result in a number of outcomes including:
• Poor physical health
• Clinical depression
• Reduced job satisfaction
• Decreased productivity
• Increased absenteeism
• Increased risk of accidents
• Poor workplace morale
• Communication breakdown
• Increased staff turnover